River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1887-06-02

and well-developed muscles, he would
have been a model for an artist.
There was profound silence
in the room as the doctor began his
preparations TO open the body.
This, said he, carefully adjusting
the instrument TO the neck of the
corpse, .'the point at which we shall
begin the examination, is the nsopha-
gus, or gullet, the pipe that supplies
the air to the lungs, and with a short,
swift turn of the wrist the doctor buried
the scalpel deeply. As the instrument
sank into the flesh the man started up,
his pale face violently contracted, his
hands clinched, his breast heaving,
His eyes, opening again and again.
fixed themselves u .,on us with strange
and untranslatable looks, hoarse and
strangled cry forcing itself from the
purple lips. At this horrible sight the
doctor became as pale rs death, then as
red as flame. With sudden, rapid
movement of the scalpel, using all his
strength. he opened the breast of the
man from windpipe to diaphragm AT
the same time, in a voice made firm by
prodigious effort of will, he said to
his pupils: Give me your attention,
please; galyanic phenomena are of no
importance-the lesson now begins. "
All this passed in less than second
| felt my temples covered with a cold
sweat-my legs bent under me. | was
forced to hold to the upright of the lam
tern to keep myself erect. That cry
| that hoarse. gasping agonizing cry
terrified aud appalled, me! | raised my
eyes to Gonzalez and to the rest of the
| olass-they also were ghastly with
! tright-but no one spoke, no one
moved, no one dared to risk even a
gesture. They understood instinctively
that the doctor. convinced of the impos-
sibility of restoring the man after the
wound he had given him, had taken the
surest and promptest way of finishing
him. No matter what had been the
ruling motive in this mangling of the
poor wretch before us, humanity, phil
anthropy, self-interest, he had never
theless been dSsaSiRGted. What must
have been the feelings of that physician
rs, never for an instant losing his pres
Giitt VI iiliiiAs Alt lAACtu iilllofil W tOll-
tinue the lesson He perceived, of
course, the embarrassment of his audi
tors distracted by the memory of that
terrible cry, that imploring look; yet
nothing in face or manner betrayed it..
After the first involuntary tremor
not a muscle quivered; his voice was
never calmer. his sentences more sonor-
ously rounded, fluent. or eloquent.
The uneasiness was general, and at
the close Of the lecture the length of
it considerable abridged, l can tell
you've hurried from the room, the
doctor going with us, but not without
first slipping in some clever words
about the ''as yet unraveled mysteries
of science, professional secrets, and
"discretion generally rs necessary a
quality to the success of "A physician, 50
the doctor stated, as knowledge of the
calling itself. All the same he took
good care not to refer to what we had
seen and heard ut the opening of the
lecture, but he knew that we had I'M
derstood his meaning, and read upon
our faces, as by tacit consent, the prom
Use of inviolate secrecy. Well,
aud we kept it, said Gerald, laying a
side his cigar aud raising to leave the
room. but it is needless to say that ]
have never since attended dissecting
seance. As for Pietro Gonzalez, he is
not a doctor. The peaceful avocation
of Calabrian sheep-raising insomnia no
longer sits upon his pillow and plaques
him with a scalpel. Adapted BY A. De
| LdnzieTeS ThcmjRes.